Using multi-source and multi-method data to obtain behavioral components of coping, the project studies families of children with leukemia and meningitis over a five-year period from the time of diagnosis, through the treatment process, and after treatment, sometimes after the death of a child. Families are randomly assigned to one of three groups: total intervention, moderate intervention, and no-Coping Project intervention. The intervention is based on a dynamic approach in which families are helped to focus on specific coping tasks throughout the course of the illness. The purpose of the study is to describe patterns of coping in these families; to determine predictors of good coping; and to test the effects of the intervention strategies. The study is currently in its third year of data collection, with two more years to go: one more year of data collection, and one more year of data analysis.